Mine laying submarine



S P 1935- A. CAPPONI MINE LAYING SUBMARINE Filed April 1, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 a :Gaggg Sept. 8, 1936.

A. CAPPONI MINE LAYING SUBMARINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 1, 1955 Sept. 8, 1936. P 2,053,696

Filed April 1, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sgpt. 8, 1936. A. CAPPONI MINE LAYING SUBMARINE Filed April 1, 1935 5 Sheets-sheaf. 4

III

Sept. 8, 1936. A. CAPPONI MINE LAYING SUBMARINE Filed' April 1 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NHNE LAYING SUBMARINE Amato Capponi, Taranto, Italy Application April 1, 1935, Serial No. 14,163

In Italy April 5, 1934 13 Claims. (01. 114-47) There are two types of mine discharging containing the instruments of control, the wordmechanisms in use today. The first employs room and so on. horizontal tubes of a diameter about equal to Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. that of the mine. The disadvantages of this Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in longitudinal sectype are known, and are as follows:-Only 3. tion of a mine chamber illustrating the disposi- 5 relatively few mines may be carried in a given tion of mines contained in it.

space for the apparatus; no adequate provision Fig. 4 is a plan view of the structure shown in is made for the examination and care of the Fig. 3, parts being omitted. mines in the tubes; the passage of the mine along Fig. 5 is a transverse section, on an enlarged its tube and its discharge therefrom is effected scale, of a portion of a vessel fitted with the 10 by power transmission gearing which acts on the present invention and showing the position and rack of the mine, and, as the rack does not contents of the mine-carrier cage at the bottom always keep in line, defective displacement 00- of the discharging chamber. curs; the fall of the mine cannot always be gov- Fig. 6 shows in section, on an enlarged scale,

erned and, asthe mine must always pass from the disposition of the pivoted brackets .of the 15 the horizontal to the vertical position, it must mines fixed to the cage and the device for the describe a parabola trajectory which is more or rotation of the cage. less arbitrary and therefore prejudicial to accu- Fig. '7 shows in section, on an enlarged scale, rate manipulation; and each mine tube must the disposition of the pivoted brackets of mine o have two water-tight doors and a complicated. dischargers rotating and oscillating on their own system of tubing for the flooding, exhausting and axes.

compensating operations. Fig. 8 illustrates, in a front view partially in The second type of mine discharging mechasection, the disposition of the blocking device of nism uses discharge tubes that are vertically disthe hand wheel control of the oscillatory pivoted posed, or almost vertical, and are placed laterbrackets, to avoid any error of the mine dis- 5 ally or centrally of the ship in free communicacharger. tion with the sea, and having a diameter about In reference to the drawings in which the same equal to that of the mine. This type of disreference number distinguished the same parts, charge tube requires the employment of a large a systemization is shown with three mine chamnumber of tubes so that a sufiicient number of hers for a submarine. The mine chambers are 30 mines may be kept ready, and therefore a conof the type for 15 mines in 3 layers. Each mine siderable amount of space and work room is rechamber is formed of a watertight metal cylinquired, and operating is. difficult; no provision der I (Fig. 3) firmly connected to the hull 2 is made for examination and care of the mines itself.

which are kept immersed in sea-water and con- In the inside of the cylinder, and concentrically 35 sequently are subject to galvanic action, incruswith it, is arranged a metal cage mine-carrier 3 tation, oxidation, and so on, with the consequent which rotates on its own axis and is supported at likelihood of the mines becoming injured so as the base by two rims of conical roller bearings 4 to be inoperative. (Figs. 5 and 6).

Therefore it is an object of the invention to The vertical centralization of the cage, both 40 overcome the objectionable fe above during the rotation and in a state of repose is se- -ferred t and t provide an arrangement which cured by the application of the rollers 5 (Figs. 3 of the formation sub and arranged at the two extremities Of the marines, of one or more mine chambers, and to cage arrange them in relation to the divisional water- At the z the mme'ca'rner a 15 -3 a tight partitions of the compartments and utilize E i i is? (Flgs 5 recelvtng part of the Space occupied by said partitions. e ro a 1011 movemen rom t e gearing 1 (Figs.

3 and 6) causes the cage to rotate on its own The invention 15 illustrated in the preferred axis The gearing 1 is Worked in its turn by a f fi given solely q 'f special motor, and is provided with a handle op- 50 tive example, in the annexed drawings, in which. Hating emergency apparatus F 1 represents. somewhat diagrammatically The placing of the mines in the cage is done in in longitudinal section, a type of installation for th following way; submarineswith three chambers which are flush First, the watertight door 8 (Figs. 1 and 3) sitwith the compartments occupied by: the room uated at the top of the mine chamber is opened; 55

i Each mine, bearing with its own weight on the extremity of the two pivoted brackets 23 (Figs. 3

Second, the cage is made to rotate until the opening of the door 8 coincides with one of the mine beds 9 (Fig. 4)

,Third, the first mine is then placed inside so that it rests on the lower pivoted brackets 23 (Figs. 3, 5 and 7) which are fixed to the cage;

Fourth, then the second mine is put in, so that it rests on the central pivoted brackets 23 (Figs. 3 and?) :v

Fifth, then the third mine is' put in so that it rests on the upper pivoted brackets23;

'Sixth, when the first three mines have been that the second mine bed is in correspondence with the door 8, and the operation of putting in the three mines is'repeated as at letters'cfd, e;

Seventh, the operation of rotating thecage. and I putting in the three mines is repeated until rallz the mine beds are full;

Eighth, when the operation is complete, the door 8 is closed.

The minescaria ways be inspectedeither with the. ship. afloat or immersed. Thisinspection is madein the following way:

Opening'thej watertight door ll (Fig. 4),, accessis got to" the recess I2, which, through the watertightdoorlS, one passes to thelanding l4 andusing the stairway l5, reaches the three central Y platforms constructed of vmetal gratings l 6, from which itis'easyto inspect all the mines.

. and 6)", tends to make them rotate on the shaft l9 and thence to free itself in the descent, but this '35 rotation -of the 1 pivoted brackets is prevented, sincethejotherextremities of the said pivoted brackets, namely, those furnished with the sliding rollers 20, engages with on the rings 2! and 22 whicli arefixed in the cylinder I. a

. ,TThejtwo rings-2| and 22 areinterrupted for a spacein correspondence with'the discharge door [.1 andatheirsliding plane in thisspace is taken 7 by two movable planes 24, each of which is controlledlby a nonrevers'ible couple "25f f0rmedby a wormand. a wormwheel. .This couple isworked j contemporaneously from the inside of thefship by the hand. wheel control, .on the spot andeventually, bymotor and ,ata distance.

one for. eachcouple of pivoted brackets f The. operation of the pivotedbraCkets ,for minesv is worked by the transmisions 21,28, 29 (Fig. 8)

To avoid the possibility t at by mistake, the

. 7 upper mines'should be set free before the lower 'special security device, which acts in the followmines have-been discharged, thereis provided a ing my;

; Supposing that-it is desired .to disengage the;

upp r pivoted brackets, the transmission29. ought to be put into action, but that is not possible, since the plane screwed to thefemale screw 30 fixed to the transmission cannot be lowered because.

it isL-obstructedby the plane 32.. .Nor can the. transmission 28 of the centralpivoted brackets.

be' worked, for plane 32,'like plane 3|, lies over plane 33.,

It is obvious, therefore, that the above device is compelled to carry outathe operation of discharging the mines in the following order, namely, first the outlet door =isopened, then the lower mine of the bed aligned with the door is released, thenthe central mine, and .finallythe upper mine in the mine-bed (vertical row)are successively released;

,In its. turn, pane 3a which acts like the prea I worked bythere'spective hand wheelcontrol 26.

a carried out to bring the second mine bed into line introduced, the cage is made to rotate again so with the door ii and thus discharge the mines icontained in it.

To avoid that, by mistake, the rotation of the ea-gesho uld be effected before the said lowerable planes havebeenreturned to the above position,

the motor'to work and effect the rotation of the cage only whenthe said plane 33 attached to the respective lowerable planes 24 has, contemporaneously with them, been returned to the original position.

, Each; mine, at the momentof issuing from the discharge door -I touches a spring pawl 31 which transmits the movement to the dropping index.38; in addition to indicating that, the mine has issued completely, this index also registers the number of mines discharged;

A mechanical index-"s9. inserted in the crank workingthe rotation of the cage gives the exact position of the minev bed in relation to the discharge door, on this crank is connected a finegrooved device for the automatically arresting of the motor whichrotates the cage, when the mine bed is perfectly in line-with the discharge door.

The discharge ofmines may be effected either with the mine chamber completely flooded, or partially flooded or completely dry.

.To discharge the mines with the chamber completely flooded, it is necessary:

- First, to openthedischarge door I! and the air escape valve l8, .both of which are worked from the inside of the ship, thus obtaining the flooding of the mine chamber;

Second,'to make sure, by means of the index 39, that the mine bed of the mines to be discharged is in line-with the discharge door .11;

Third, to set atwork, by means of the relative handle, the transmission 21, which, setting free the lower pivoted brackets 23, leaves the first mine free, which is pushed out of the ship by its own weight;

Fourth; to repeat the operation with transmissio'n28, causing the second mine to fall;

Fifth,-to repeat theoperation with -transmis sion 29;- causingthe third mine to fall.

When this last operation is completed, the planes, 3 L32 and 33m'ust be brought back totheir original position, after which the cage can beset in" rotation again,carrying the second mine bed into line with the discharge door l7, when the operation of dropping mines can be repeated.

'I'heabove operation is repeated to efi'ect the rotation'oftheremaining mine beds and'the discharge of the mines contained in them.

' It isobvious that the difference between the weight of themine and of the water which enters the chamber at each discharge of a mine will be compensated. by causing water to flow into the relative compensation"compartment of the ship.

- To carry out the'discharg'e of mines with the chamber partially flooded, itis necessary:

, ;To open the discharge door l1, making sure that the air-escapevalve I8 is closed.

- In this way, supposing that the discharge is made at a depth of twentymetres, the air existing in the mine. chamber will be compressed at two atmospheres and its volume will be reduced to half; consequentlya quantity of water equal to the half of the volume of the mine chamber will enter the chamber.

. At this point the crew which is carrying out the operation may enter the mine chamber in the following way:

. By opening the watertight door I I access is had to the recess 12; then, closing the watertight door I I, one gets into the mine chamber, opening the watertight door l3 the discharging operation can becontrolled from platforms l l and l6, and, by meansof the relative telephone, it is possible to communicate with the crew in the interior of the ship, who will carry out the discharging operations, working in the same way as that indicated for the discharge of mines with the chamber completely flooded.

ble (see Fig. 3) save that a space I0 is left between the two of them which are adjacent the platform l4, so that a person may pass between them to the platform H5.

The form of execution illustrated and described is susceptible of all those variations and modifications that do not go outside the scope of the present invention.

Thus also, the system which is the subject of this invention may be carried out on any kind of ship and, according to difierent requirements, the

number of mine-chambers, the number of layers of minesand the number of the mines themselves may also be varied.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In mine laying apparatus, a vertically disposed water-tight chamber, a mine entrance door in the top thereof and a mine discharge door in the bottom thereof, a cage mounted in said chamber to rotate on a vertical axis, said cage having a plurality of radially disposed mine-beds each constructed to receive mines at the top when in line with said entrance door and to discharge mines at the bottom when in line with said discharge door and to contain a plurality of mines one above the other, means cooperative with each mine-bed for holding the mines in place in the mine-beds, and means for successively releasing the mines, beginning with the lowest one in that mine-bed which is in line with the discharge door, and means to turn the cage to bring successive unloaded mine beds intoline with said entrance door and to bring successive loaded mine cages into line with said discharge door.

'2 In mine laying apparatus, a vertically disposed water-tight chamber, a mine entrance door in the top thereof and a mine discharge door in the bottom thereof, a cage mounted in said chamher to rotate on a vertical axis, said cage having a plurality of radially disposed mine-beds each constructed to receive mines at the top when in line with said entrance door and to discharge mines at the bottom when in line with said dis charge door and to contain a plurality of mines one above the other, means cooperative with each mine-bed for holding the mines in place in the mine-beds, and means for successively releasing the mines, beginning with the lowest one in that mine-bed which is in line with the discharge door, means to turn the cage to bring successive unloaded mine cages into line with said entrance door and to bring successive loaded mine beds into line with said discharge door, means to open and close said discharge door, and means to restrain said mine-releasing means against operation until after said discharge door shall have been opened.

3. In mine laying apparatus for vessels having water-tight walls dividing their hulls into water-tight compartments; a water-tight cylinder built into one of said walls in a vertical position with its bottom at the bottom of the vessel, a discharge door through the hull bottom from said cylinder, a mine-entrance door at the top of said cylinder, a mine cage rotatably mounted on a vertical axis in said cylinder and having a set of mine-beds each constructed to receive a plurality of mines in vertical ar rangement through said entrance door and to discharge the same through said discharge door, means to open and close said doors, and means to release the mines through the discharge door from one mine-bed at atime, and means to turn said cage. 2

4. In mine laying apparatus for vessels having water-tight walls dividing their hulls into water-tight compartments; a water-tight cylinder built into one of said walls in a vertical position with its bottom at the bottom of the vessel, a discharge door through the hull bottom from said cylinder, a mine-entrance door at the top of said cylinder, a mine cage rotatably mounted in said cylinder and having a set of minebeds each constructed to receive a plurality of mines in vertical arrangement through said en trance door and to discharge the same through said discharge door, means to open and close said doors, means to release the mines through the discharge door from'one mine-bed at a time, means to turn said cage, a water-tight door in the side of said cylinder, 2. water-tight recess in the hull with which said ,side door communicates, another water-tight door to effect communication between a compartment of the vessel and said recess, and a platform carried by said cage upon which a person may stand to inspect the mines in the mine-beds.

5. In a mine-laying apparatus, an upright water-tight cylinder having a door in the top for insertion of mines and a door at the bottom for discharge of mines, a cage rotatably mounted within said cylinder and having a plurality of radially disposed mine-beds each designed to receive a plurality of mines in superposed relation, pivoted elements for holding each mine soparately in place, tracks in said cylinder for holding said pivoted elements against mine-releasing action save at a position where the minebed is located over the discharge door, manually controlled means at that position for holding and releasing the mines in the mine-bed which is lined up with said discharge door, and means to open and close said discharge door.

6. In a mine-laying apparatus, an upright water-tight cylinder having a door in the top for insertion of mines and a. door at the bottom for discharge of mines, a cage rotatably mounted within said cylinder and having a plurality of radially disposed mine-beds each designed to receive a plurality of mines in superposed rela tion, pivoted elements .for holding "each Imine separately in place, ztracks in said cylinder for holding saidpivotedelements against mine-releasing actionsave atiazposition wheretheminbedqis located over the discharge "door.,;man':u'-

ally controlled-.means at that position for holding and releasing therninesin the mine-bed whichislined up with'said discharge door, means to openandclosefsaid dischargedoor, and means to hold, said thine-releasing means. from operas 'tion untilsaid/discharge door is open.

ltIn a mine la-ying apparatus, an upright water-tight cylinder having a do'or'in the "topfor insertion of mines and a door at the bottornffor discharge of mines, a cage rotatably mounted within said cylinder andlhaving a plurality of radially disposed mineebeds eachdesigned to re- ,ceive a plurality of mines insuperposed relation, pivoted'elements for holding each :mine separately jin .pla'ceptracks insaid: cylinder for holding said pivoted elements against mine-releasing :ac-

tionsavea'tyazposition where the mine-bed .is=1ocated over the discharge door, -manually' controlled -means' at that position for holding and releasing the minesrin the mlnebd"Wh1Ch'lS lined up with said discharge door, means to open and close said discharge 11001, means to hold"said,minereleasing means from operation until said discharge door is open, and means to cause said mine-releasing means to operate only torelcase'the mines in vertical succession commencing first ,W'ithfthe, lowestmine in thebed.

' "-8. Inminelaying apparatus -forvessels having through the dischargedoorway.

water-'tight'walls dividingtheirhulls into watertight compartments; l a water tight cylinder built into one' of said walls in a vertical position w th its bottom atthe bottom of the vessel, a discharge door throughgthe hull bottomirom sa d cylinder, at mine-entrance door at; the top of sa d cylinder, a mine cage rotatably mounted in said cylinder and .h aving a set' of mine-beds ,each

constructedto receive a plurality of minesin vertical arrangement through said entrance door and todischarge'the same through said, discharge door, means to open and close said. doors, means :to release the mines through'the discharge door 9.111 "a mi'ne -laying apparatus, an upright watertight; cylinder having a door in the top for' insertion of mines and a door at the bottom for discharge o-f mincs, aca'ge' rotatably mounted withinsaid cylinder and having a I plurality of radially disposed mine-beds each designed'to' receivea'plurality of mines in superposed relation, pivoted elementsfor holding each, mine separately in'place, tracks in said cylinder for holding said pivoted elements against mine-releasing, action; save ata positionwhere the-mine-bed is located over Ithefdischarge 'door,"manually controlled mea s at, that position for holding and releasing thernines in the mine-bed which is lined up with said discharge dor,.means toopenand close said discharge door, meansf to hold said mine-releasingnmeans fromoperation until said discharge dooris open, means tocause said mineabsence releasing means to operate only to release the mines in vertical succession commencing first with the *lowest :mine inthebed, andlmeans actuated by the mine whichis being discharged for recording the :dischargeof the mines through the discharge doorway.

r10. Inmirie laying apparatus, a vertically disposed water-tight chambena mine entrance door in the top thereof and a mine discharge door in the bottom. thereof,-,a cage mounted in said chamber tor-rotate on ayertical axis, said cage having a plurality of radially disposed minebcds each constructed to receive mines at the top whenin-line withsaidentrance door and to discharge :mines at the bottom -when in line with saiddischarge'door and to contain a'pluralitymf mines one above the other, means cooperative with each'mine-bed forholding the mines. in place in the mine-sheds; means {or successively releasing; the minesgbeginning iwith the lowest onein thatmine-bed which is in line-with'the discharge door, means to turn the cage to bring successive unloaded mine beds into line withisaid'entrance door-land;to,bring successive loaded mine cages into-line withsaiddischarge door, and means-to renderesaid;cage-turningv means inoperative while said dischargedoor is-operr and the mines from a mine-bed are being discharged. Y

,ll. In mine laying apparatus for vessels having water-tight walls dividing their hulls into water-tight; compartments; a watertight cylinder built into one of said walls in a vertical positionwith its bottom at-the :bottom of the vessel, a discharge door through the hull bottom fromsaid cylinder, amine-entrance door at the top of said cylinder, a mine cage rotatably-mounted in. said cylinder and-having arset of mine-beds each constructed to receive a pluralityof mines in vertical ,arrangement through said entrance door and to discharge the same through said discharge door,.means .toopen and closesaid doors, means to release theminesthrough thedischarge door lfrorn one mine-bed at a time,'means-to tum said cage, and means to rendersaid-cage-turning means inoperative while said discharge door" is open and the mines from a mine-bed are'heing discharged '12. In, mine laying apparatus for-vessels 113V? ing water-tight wallsdividing their hulls into water-tight compartments; a water-tight cylinder builtfinto oneo'f said walls in a vertical position with its bottom at thebottom of the vessel, a discharge door through the hull bottom from: said cylinder, a mine-.entrance'rdoor at the top of said cylinder, a mine cage rotatably mounted insaid cylinderand having asetof mine-beds'each constructed to. receive a plurality of mines in vertical arrangement through said entrance door and todischarge the same through said discharge door, meansto open and close-said doors, means to release the mines through the discharge-door from one mine-bed at a time, meansto turn saidca-ge, a water-tightdoorin the side of said cylinden-a water-tight recess in the hull with whic h said side door communicates, another water-tight door to effect communication between a compartment of the vessel and said recess, a platform carried by said. cage 'upon which a person may stand to inspect the mines in the mine-beds,.means actuatedby the mine which is being discharged for recording the discharge of the mines through the discharge doorway, and means to render said cage turning means inoperative while said dischargedoor is open and the mines from a minebed are being, discharged. v

13. In a mine-laying apparatus, an upright water-tight cylinder having a door in the top for insertion of mines and a door at the bottom for discharge of mines, a cage rotatably mounted within said cylinder and having a plurality of radially disposed mine-beds each designed to receive a plurality of mines in superposed relation, pivoted elements for holding each mine separately in place, tracks in said cylinder for holding said pivoted elements against mine-releasing action save at a position where the mine-bed is located over the discharge door, manually controlled means at that position for holding and releasing the mines in the mine-bed which is lined up with said discharge door, means to open and close said discharge door, means to hold said mine-releasing means from operation until said discharge door is open, means to cause said minereleasing means to operate only to release the mines in vertical succession commencing first with the lowest mine in the bed, and means actuated by the mine which is being discharged for recording the discharge of the mines through the discharge doorway, and means to render said cageturning means inoperative While said discharge door is open and the mines from a mine-bed are being discharged.

AMATO CAPPONI. 

